I collected bricks from the American Can Factory site, North Lubec, and am experimenting with pulverizing the fragments and embedding the dust into clay.

Just a few days after winter storm NEMO, our big boy Bello Shroom was outside enjoying the sunny day melt-off.

I found a recipe that clued me in on how to fry tofu perfectly. No batter involved - just straight up tofu and sesame seeds in olive oil. It is so yummy that we have eaten a version of this three times in the past four or five days.

Awards are coming along for the Bay of Fundy Marathon. I am giving my wrists a break for a week before tackling the next group of pieces which will be the most intricate and complex of the bunch. These are the tumblers that will be awarded to the teams in the 10k and marathon.

If you are traveling to Lubec during the marathon be sure to book your accommodations sooner rather than later. I know that as of this morning, Away Downeast still has a couple awesome and affordable cottage available.

If you still need help finding accommodations, contact the Bay of Fundy Marathon organizers for suggestions.

Thinking maybe I should change my blog title to "Food, Cats and Art." That seems to sum up most days here in our little nook in the far reaches of the country. The past couple weeks have been fulfilling on all fronts. Chris and I have our super busy times where we find ourselves on the road to various readings, exhibits, meetings, or family events, but other times we are able to find these stretches where retreating to our respective work spaces is unfettered by outside distractions.

I set aside one week to (almost) fully dedicate to the beginning stages of a new art project. Most weeks I am juggling a little bit of "this" and little bit of "that" but this week I wanted to be able to solidify some ideas. For an artist to have that time without outside distractions is worth the weight of any hefty item in gold.

I had been waiting for the right conditions to visit the ruins of an old factory site here in Lubec. On Friday I finally had the opportunity. I needed compliant weather, tide, and Chris. I had never been to the site before and was unsure how approachable it would be. It is not a safe space by any stretch with the massive deterioration but was in better condition than I had expected. I snapped over a hundred photos that have been filed and later this morning I will begin printing them to use as inspiration in both clay, conte, and encaustic.

I am excited by my level of excitement. When I got to the ruins close-up, I swear my heart skipped a beat. Something resonated with me so strongly on such a deep level. With some things in our lives, we don't always understand our reactions, but over time, clarity begins to come forth presenting the bigger picture. For me, with this site visit, I started to understand some of the images that had been emerging in my work over the past couple years. At the time of creating those works, or even recently seeing images in my mind but not being able to translate, this one afternoon allowed all kinds of connections to be realized. The images, understandings, and connections is only in the most infantile stage but at the precipice of unfolding in a most profound way. I can feel it.

It is amazing to look at these ruins and to know that this is not a war-torn village and that these walls and ceilings are not collapsed because of bombs. Merely, it is water, wind, and time that has eroded the structure. Such awesome power in the elements.

Looking at these ruins, even though used for a period of time and when no longer profitable abandoned and left succumb to the elements, there is beauty and reverence. The energy is still. In some ways, a ghostly still. But also, a reverent stillness. Pier stubs emerge from the sand like gravestones. Columns, broken, and slanted, lean against one another like Stonehenge dolmens. Slabs of concrete hang from steel rods exposing an opening in the ceiling that is a gateway to infinite sky. Every square foot guards a memory or story.

At the moment, my mind is buzzing with ideas. This part of the process takes a while for me to decipher. Images snap through mind's eye and it is an art in snagging the right one that can carry and artist through from conception to artwork. My cave is warming up now, waiting me to begin this journey.

Not sure what the end result will be but I'm hoping for something interesting to work with.

Nemo came and went and while much of southern Maine experienced record snowfall, Lubec was dowsed with a mere eighteen inches or less. Our back yard is notorious for high drifts and the wind did not let us down this time. The driveway was nearly bare but the backyard was a weighty three feet deep in most spots. Chris had been away and missed the last couple storms which fell upon me to shovel. I was relieved that he made it home, with only a day to spare, in time to enjoy the hype of a true Maine winter. His California blood, I can say, is now officially transfused to the good ol' "Mainah" type. He shoveled with a smile and didn't complain once about the frigid gusty winds. We also fared well in the electrical sense. Our power flickered off and on a few times but no real outage to speak of. I enjoyed the three days of being "snowbound". It's good to slow things down once in a while.

It's back to regular routines now. Chris spends much of the day in his office writing poetry, working on his novel, and teaching various ethics courses online. I have been focused on carving the herring ware and just began work for the Bay of Fundy Marathon awards. Those two things alone, awards and preparing inventory for summer sales, could keep me busy full time, but I also just tossed the semester work for my MFA program into the mix. I've been a wee bit neglectful on the office type stuff and keeping up with this blog, but I do enjoy the intense focus once in a while and that means letting go of a few things. While I am setting my own schedule for the most part, there are plenty of meetings and appointments that keep me on my toes. Last week I enjoyed an afternoon with some kids at school in the afterschool program. It was an interesting challenge to make paper mache masks with students that ranged in age from four to ten. I am accustomed to multi-age classes, but a span so wide does present its own set of challenges. Luckily I had a couple other sets of adult hands to assist.

February has turned out to so far feel a healthy work pace. January hit me like a tornado quite unexpectedly. I had been thinking that it would be my quiet month, but between jury duty, MFA presentations, the flu, my mom's visit, painting the living room, social engagements, and having a ceiling installed in my cave studio, I didn't have much time for anything art-related. This month has so far been about re-focusing, breathing, and getting back into my artistic groove. No delusions. The March schedule is packed and from what I can see, that will be the norm until after next December's holidays. I have already secured a few craft venues and am waiting on applications for a few others. This is my first full year as a full time artist. It's all a work in progress with much to be learned along the way.

About Me

Shanna Wheelock sculpts and weaves in downeast Maine nestled amongst spruce trees and critters. She studied ceramics in the early 1990’s as a fine arts student and took to weaving a few years later when awarded a fellowship. She spent many years facilitating workshops for women’s groups, inmates, children, and exchange students, and is a state certified visual arts teacher and Weaving a Life Circle Leader. She recognizes arts as a pathway to healing and is grateful for her enchanted life on the coast, in the easternmost U.S. town of Lubec, with her husband the poet and their two cats "Bello" and "Bouli".

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EARTH LOOM

We built this loom with a Maine Arts Teachers Fellowship grant. It is housed here at Cobscook Pottery, right next to our fire circle. The installation ceremony was amazing - with a group of close friends, chanting, feasting, and praying for Peace.

ZATI MASKMAKING

Hecate (woven and felted wool)

ZATI MASKMAKING

This is my favorite Zati mask that I have made, named "Laughing Tree Spirit." When I wear this mask, I can't help but fill with laughter. The face sometimes appears quiet, but when worn, takes on a more jovial appearance.

ZATI MASKMAKING

This mask is named "Babi." It was the first Zati mask that I ever made. I asked for the animal spirits to make their presence, and they did - with a Baboon! Not exactly what I was expecting. But in this process, I am open and willing to learn/listen to whatever messages are brought to me.

JOURNEY

This is the first tapestry that I ever made on my beaver stick loom. The piece, for me, tells the story of a Shaman's journey through the underworld.

THE MACHINE

The General

THE MACHINE

"Arsenal"

THE MACHINE

"Missile"

THE MACHINE

"Grenade"

COBSCOOK POTTERY

COBSCOOK POTTERY

COBSCOOK POTTERY

Yunomi

EARTHMOTHER

I have been sculpting fertility Goddesses since I was a student at USM, back in the early 1990's. I have made these "Mamas" in earthenware, stoneware, and raku. They have evolved slightly over the years, but the main idea the same. I love to work with the figure - and this is perhaps my favorite form to sculpt and draw - a voluptuous torso.

THE FIGURE

This was the first figure drawing that I ever did, at USM, about twenty years ago.

THE FIGURE

A quick study of model with hiking shoe

THE FIGURE

This was one of our 10 minute warm-up exercises.

THE FIGURE

Annie's Jeans

MINI POTS

These are three typical mini pots that I make. I sell lots of them either through my studio or at Northern Tides, a gift shop here in Lubec.

MINI POTS

SAKE SET

I like Japanese culture and pottery. This comes through in my pottery, with the Yunomi cups, rice bowls, and Sake Sets. This set is in the "Barley" glaze, but I also make them in "Earth and Sky", "Speckled Blue-Grey", and "Butterfly" glazes.

MOON TREE SERIES

MOON TREE SERIES

In this piece I opted to glaze the branches a darker, contrasting color. In some respects I like it better than the more simple, purely celadon piece. However, there is something to be said for quiet beauty.

CHOP SIGNATURE

Most of my new work has this new chop signature. SLW: Shanna Lynn Wheelock